Kurt Larson at Larson’s Printing alerted me to this article published in the Pioneer Press on Monday: Meth hospital, treatment admissions down in ’06. The article ends with this paragraph, italics mine:
Falkowski said she has been monitoring the media for signs of heroin abuse in upscale schools for years, without finding evidence of the suburban drug trends evident in other states. That changed several months ago with reports of a heroin network among high school students in Northfield.
(Falkowski is Carol Falkowski, director of the Butler Center for Research at Hazelden.)
The way that paragraph is written implies that Northfield is an upscale suburb, which ain’t so. But I phoned Northfield Police Chief Gary Smith today and he confirmed the story and the problem… and indicated that the heroin use is definitely by students from upper income families here in Northfield.
He indicated that there was a local effort in the works (evidently HCI is involved) to address the problem, including the lack of a local treatment facility/program. He might be able to add more info about this on his blog or via a comment here.
Update July 6: I’ve deleted the text and YouTube video on Incarcerex that I included in the original blog post and removed phrase ‘war on drugs’ from the blog title. With over 100 comments, the message thread was loading slowly and hopefully this will speed things up a bit… as well as help keep the discussion Northfield-focused.
Update July 11:After rereading articles and comments in preparation for today’s radio show/podcast, I’ve edited the title of the blog post from ‘Heroin network at the Northfield High School’ to ‘Heroin use among high school students in Northfield.’ This change more accurately reflects A) the actual wording of the Hazelden researcher, and B) the fact that there are high schoolers in Northfield who are at the district high school, at ARTech, and who are being homeschooled. I apologize for the wording and acknowledge that it was unfair to the school district and its high school. My error is partially due to my longstanding support for charter schools. I guess this is an example of what’s called biased reporting. Oddly, no one called me on this.
A response to “a concerned parent of Nothfield teen”, or comment number 160.
First off, if I ran this site, I would not allow anonymous comments. I think that it encourages irresponsible behavior, much like the music videos that Kathrine Kersten watches.
Second, you say, “He/she mentioned that drug use and deals take place downtown. Many of them under the foot bridge by the Key.”
Lots of things happen downtown, probably a few drug deals. However, I bet drug use and deals take place in your neighborhood too, maybe even in your home.
More importantly, I assume that you are referring to the pedestrian bridge over the Cannon River, which you link to The Key. In fact, the bridge is closer to Edward R. Jones, the Contented Cow, the Northfield Arts Guild, Erbert and Gerbert’s, Archeo Paleo, Jerry’s Barbershop and a half dozen other entities than to The Key.
You go on to say, “I am not looking for responses that defend the Key”. Why not? You have linked the drug deals to The Key through your comments. Once again The Key needs defending.
In my four years as Executive Director of the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, I have seen nothing but good things come from The Key. Their kids work in the retail shops, their programs provide an incredible variety of creative activities for youth, they provide youthful eyes on the street, and they are always pitching in to participate in community events.
In every meeting between the Northfield Police Department and the NDDC Block Heads discussing crime downtown, the officers state that The Key is part of the solution, not part of the problem. I think that the same is true for this emerging “war on drugs”.
Finally, you close with, “we need some more police foot tra[f]fic along the river”. Why didn’t you just say so in the first place.
I think that you owe The Key an apology.
First off, I speak only for myself and NOT my bosses, the board members of The Northfield Union of Youth. First in comment to response #160 involving the Key being a “safe” place: the “concerned parent”, who I wish would give her real name, says she isn’t “looking for responses that defend the Key, or (blame) the Key.” Well, when you bring connotation into a sentence it can be good or bad. I will presume that this comment was meant to be negative and that a response is warranted, no matter what the writer’s unmentioned objections. The Key is a safe spot. No one is allowed in The Key under the influence or allowed to bring any chemical into The Key. If you are at The Key you are drug free. Here is the problem that many people have with our organization, a problem that has given us bad reputation at times: much like the high school and Art Tech, and local businesses, we don’t discriminate against who comes into our building. Yep, we allow anyone age 12-20 into out building. Thus people from all walks of life: poor and rich, short and tall, male and female, shy and outgoing, those with a drug-free history and those who have used. This, and the fact that it is Youth Run is what makes this place work. The organization does punish those break our rules, but we are also forgiving. Maybe this is the philosophy that would be best used for users and abusers. It works for us.
Point 2: I do agree that there probably are people who deal at the River Walk, just like there are people that deal at perhaps a nighbor’s house, outside of the high school, on college campus, near the swimming pool, etc. Let’s not condemn these places and let’s also not condemn Froggy Bottoms and Basil’s Pizza and The Key and The Cow for being by a riverwalk that can offer some cover of darkness for dealers. We call the cops when we see it and we expect the same of other local businesses.
Shucks, I wanted to be the 200th post, but just missed.
I wish I’d never heard the phrase “zero tolerance.” I can’t think of a single instance in my 35 years of work in which zero tolerance has actually been practiced (usually it’s just a tough-sounding simple-minded empty phrase) or, if practiced, has had the desired effect. Almost every system of enforcement or discipline — from the faimily unit to a school to a city or state — is built on rules that are subject to interpretation, discretion, judiciousness, considerations of justice and proportionality and circumstance. There are very few absolutes. One of the problems, of course, is that too much discretion can lead to unfairness, discrimination (the bad kind) and even corruption. But discretion and critcal thinking and problem solving are part of being grown up. The kid who brings a Leatherman tool to school because he does farm chores each morning may have violated the school’s weapons ban, but he is not the same as the one who brings a knife to school to intimidate a rival gang member. If the school had a true zero tolerance policy, both kids would be treated exactly the same way.
Zero tolerance assumes that we have the absolutely perfect solution. Non-negotiable, non-debatable, unquestionable. Every time. Every case. Every kid. I’m sorry, but I do not think we have achieved any such state of perfection.
I also get tired of the simple view that drug users won’t quit until they really want to. There are degrees of motivation, and sometimes those who care about a person can help that person get more motivated. Sometimes police and judges can help people get more motivated, whether through education or treatment or punishment or some combination. Usually, it’s just life — and the unappealing fact that life sucks when you’re always desparatley looking for that next high — that motivates people. Lost jobs, damaged relationships, car wrecks, financial troubles. Eventually, most users wake up and figure this out. Sometimes they wake up in jail, sometimes in the hospital, sometimes on their own front porch. Often, the best the “system” can do is speed that process up a little.
In general, I don’t like global solutions to individual problems. And drug use — while harmful in many ways to the community — is mostly an individual problem. One man’s cieling is another man’s floor. Or something.
Sorry, just wanted to add a last name to post 202 and mention that I am the Executive Director of The Northfield Union of Youth (The Key). Sorry for the sloppiness.
I’m a teenager living in Northfield who has used a variety of substances, including heroin, and I believe the main reason is boredom. There truly is not much to do here. The Key has some things to do, but most of the time the things they offer are things that are easily done at home. They have some great activities like crafts, cooking(which i think they stopped?), and many other things. I’m not saying the Key is a bad thing, it’s wonderful just that it can’t be the solution to kids boredom. The YMCA? I didn’t even know we had one until I read someone else’s posts. Tell kids to get into activities because it will stop them from using? nope…i’m a varsity athlete of more than one sport and that never stopped me, or anyone else who plays sports. You don’t tell on people who drink, smoke, or do any other sort of drugs. It’s just not acceptable behavior at the high school, anyone who rats other people out is hated by anyone who uses ANYTHING for a long time, so no one does. If the city does have things it provides for the kids to do, it needs to make sure they know about them. Our swimming pool is not all that it could be…it’s more catered towards younger kids not teens. There’s only so many times you can go off the diving board before it gets old. I’m not saying the city is at fault for kids using drugs, but they could do a lot more to help. Kids who use any sort of substance might be doing it for excitement. Perhaps if Northfield had other ways to take risks and have fun for teens it would lower the drug use. Kids can be as well informed about drugs as they want, the users actually tend to know more about the risks than the kids who would never EVER use, but they still will use if they have nothing else to do. Even if the city isn’t going to make anything or spend money to fund activities the kids would do…they could at least give them ideas of fun things they could do. Sometimes just having ideas is all you need, it’s not that you don’t want to do anything else it’s that you truly can’t think of anything. If this makes kids seem lazy and like they need to be entertained i’m sorry, but that’s a way the city truly could help and i believe it would make the biggest impact on drug use.
I’m not one to buy into the boredom excuse. As people have already mentioned, boredom is everywhere. Big cities, small cities and cities with unlimited activities for youth of all ages. If every teen who was ever bored did heroin or any other hard narcotic, we’d have a lot bigger problem on our hands. So would the rest of the country.
The boredom explanation, in my perspective, is the excuse for being unable to articulate the “why” of doing any drugs, or anything that’s deemed risky for that matter. Anyone who has ever watched Jackass, a skateboard or snowboard video, or spent some time on youtube has seen some pretty risky behavior that could’ve resulted in some very serious consequences. People ask “why” all time. Most of the time, you’ll get a shrug and a “we were bored” or a “why not” as an answer.
The bottom line is kids and teens don’t think about the consequences. Or maybe they do, but only for a fleeting moment before it’s brushed aside like a nagging parent. It just so happens some of the consequences of their actions are more severe than others, and carry worse social stigmas.
One last post, before I get fired. I totally understand where
in post 205 is coming from and I do understand that The Key is definitely not for anyone. But I must disagree with the contention that The Key offers programs that can mostly be done from home. This is especially not the case from those coming from low-income and troubled homes. I know of no homes that offer a weekly Book Club (mondays at 5:00), Art Project (6:30 on Tuesdays), Writing Workshop (weekly during the school year), Breakdancing, Cooking Class (every other friday at 5:00pm), skatepark meetings (wednesdays 5:00), plus weekend concerts, mentoring options, gardening, community service opportunities, and most of all the only place in town where youth can call their own. Anyone and everyone ages 12-20 is welcome to participate and get involved with The Key. If you don’t like what The Key offers, come to weekly board meetings (Wednesday at 3:45pm) and we will help you get a new program or opportunity started. Once again, everyone ages 12-20 is welcome to get involved and help shape The Key. Please check out website at http://www.unionofyouth.org for more info. We are only as strong as the youth that get involved. And if you are an adult in the community get involved as well. We could always use help with programs and there are many opportunities to become a mentor for a wide variety of youth. Email http://www.unionofyouth.org to get involved. Becoming a mentor is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have and can really change your life as well as a younger person’s.
Tyson, I do not think you can say boredom has nothing to do with it. You seem to think teenagers cannot see ahead. And I didn’t say that boredom caused kids to use opiates. I’m saying that it WAS the main reason I used. You don’t have to believe it, but it is a huge factor in kids using. And even if teens don’t think about the consequences of their actions all the time, they do know the why. Boredom is a cause of using, I would know from experience. Not everyone has deep emotional causes to why they use.
It seems that only adults say that boredom could not possibly be a factor and all teens posting here think it could be. Perhaps you should look at that.
As an adult it’s very hard to see how teen feel and their perspective on the world, so try to listen to how they feel and why they use substances instead of giving reasons for why they use and why they shouldn’t feel the way they do.
Just about any parent and anyone who was ever a child can give multiple examples of times when the young person was bored and nothing the parent suggested was of any interest. Sometimes a malaise sets in, whether for half an hour or a month, that makes nothing sound like any fun, or worth the effort, unless it’s something on the order of a free day at Valley Fair. I think we can all relate, on some level.
I think coming up with a list of suggestions of things to do in Northfield is a fine idea, and when someone in a receptive mood consults it it might be just the thing. I’d be happy to participate in brainstorming such a list. (Reading leaps immediately to mind!) Where shall we post it?
But often it is likely that someone who claims to be bored will also claim to find anything that’s suggested to be too dull, too mainstream, not cool, not their style, too young, too hard, too simple, too vigorous, etc., or just be resistant to doing anything that’s not their own idea or that they can’t do as a group with their friends. That’s human nature, particularly in adolescence, though, as Bright suggested, there are ways to consciously try to change that mindset if you are bored of being bored. (“You need to want to learn and observe everything …with clear eyes and a ready mind. That’s where you get creativity.” — Post #187 )
Northfield’s pro-volunteerism organization, 5th Bridge, has a list of 300 ways to make a difference by volunteering your time. See http://5thbridge.org/opportunities. Maybe that’s a good place to start for someone who is truly looking for positive things to do, and I do believe there are people who are.
Sorry if this is a repeat of anything previously posted, but I see that Northfield’s Healthy Community Initiative has a statement about the heroin issue on its home page, and encourages those who would like to get involved to contact HCI or Rice County Family Services Collaborative. See http://www.northfieldhci.org.
It looks like at least one of my links (#210) doesn’t work because the hyperlink included the period at the end of the sentence. Try these:
http://5thbridge.org/opportunities
http://www.northfieldhci.org
Three reminders:
1. MPR is looking for people to help them do a story. See post #73 or go directly to this page.
2. There’s a Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Alcohol & Drug Use meeting tonight at 7:00 pm at the NCRC. Zach Pruitt emailed me the agenda:
3. Over 55 people have filled out the straw poll since I posted it 24 hours ago. Most everyone is contributing comments with it, which is really helpful. If you’ve not yet taken it, please consider doing so.
My problem with the boredom explanation is that since it’s rare for adults to start engaging in this type of risky behavior (drugs, jackass style stunts, etc.) you would be led to believe that they are never bored. I can assure you there are plenty of bored adults out there, and they rarely choose to start engaging in this behavior if they hadn’t already started.
I’m not saying you weren’t bored at all. I completely believe that you were. I also believe you don’t need some profound reason as to why you chose to use.
Maybe I should have linked to this in my last post, but here’s a an article that appeared in the Washington Post about a study by the National Institute of Health that suggests a region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52687-2005Jan31.html
The article focuses more on driving, but I believe is very applicable to all forms of risky behavior by teens.
For me, this is a big piece of the puzzle in regards to the “why” part of the equation.
I posted earlier as anonymous by the way.
I think the way to stop almost all the heroin use in town is to catch the dealers. There is ONE dealer in town that provides heroin to probably more than twenty users. I cant rat on them because if anyone found out my life could end.
The community needs to find a way to catch this dealer. If they were caught I would’nt have to worry about trying to stay clean anymore. I would have to be clean, and my friends would have to be clean too. I really have no other way of getting heroin.
I agree that the community should brainstorm a giant list of activities that are fun and acceptable. I turned to heroin because it was easy, once you’re smacked you don’t need to think of something to do because you’re so high you can just sit there for hours not doing anything. Basically a high vegetable.. not very appealing to the rest of the world
Would The Key be intersted in adding a list of things to do to their website? It might be a good place to start.
In response to #205 post.
As Josh said, we have something almost every evening for youth between 12-20 to do. Do you know how to make lamp work beads out of glass? Do you have the money for the materials? Do you have the materials and enough people to make life size rafts out of recyclables and race them down the river?
Here’s a list of things that the Key has done in the past for art project, cooking class and more:
-lamp work beads
-hemp jewelry
-Ice candles
-scavenger hunt
-screen printing shirts
-mask making
-bicycle sculptures
-life size rafts built and raced down the river
-melted plastic sculptures
-little boats out of recycled things, raced down the rive
-photography
-chicken fajitas
-chicken curry
-ginger citrus spice cookies
-carrot cake
-twisty bread and cheesy spread
My question for you is, if you had the materials/space and the money to do any of these at your own house, or a friends house, would you? Or would you say ‘well I can do these anytime I want, I want to do something that I cant normally do.’ the only want what you cant have kind of thing.
#214 wrote this:
I agree that the community should brainstorm a giant list of activities that are fun and acceptable. I turned to heroin because it was easy, once you’re smacked you don’t need to think of something to do because you’re so high you can just sit there for hours not doing anything. Basically a high vegetable.. not very appealing to the rest of the world
And from Bright;
Which brings me to my next set of myth busters…I can sit and get all
vegitized without drugs. I can get that warm feeling and heavy limbs
by laying next to a hot fire for a few minutes…oxygen almost eaten up
by the flames, heat unbearably hot…don’t need drugs for that. Oh,
and how about that lack of fear…well, unless you have a serious mental/
chemical imbalance, anyone can learn to overcome fear and use it to do
fine things for the world. Put that on the list of things to do in Northfield.
Here’s my top ten list from the top of my head:
Create your own board game. get it? Bored, board?
Find new ways of making sound, using any thing in your immediate vacinity
and then start a band using the new sounds only.
Stage a peaceful protest against the War on Terror.
Learn how to build a lean to for emergency survival shelter.
Go on a Spirit Journey in your backyard for a week.
Write down everything you eat for a month in a journal…every single bit.
Talk to the family dog for an hour a day. Play with the dog or cat
for an hour a day.
Build a garden at waist height so your elders can visit and work with it without bending over.
Design your own clothes, make them, and/or have a fashion show.
Think big and then think a little bigger. Look into the future and plan a new world for you and your kids.
Bonus #11
Imagine how it would be living in the biosphere.
All these ideas can be found in some form on the internet. Go for it
and let us know what you came up with!
Bright
http://www.stolaf.edu/stulife/deanofstudents/onadate/index.html
St. Olaf has an amazing page on its site listing all the “things to do on a date in Northfield.” Some are dumb, some corny, but there are lots and lots of things that would work, whether you’re on a date, with a group of friends or alone.
Good point on one of the posts on brains not being able to make good decisions until 25. That research does explain a lot. And it’s important to remember that adults, even very successful ones, have drug and alcohol problems. Why should we expect high school kids to make better decisions than their parents and ministers and teachers.
I am concerned however, that after nearly a month, we’re not seeing parents organizing, meeting, working with the experts. It seems that the parents who know their kids are using already have learned the answers the hard way and a lot of others seem to be in denial, same as the kids who think they’ve got it under control. And if these are the alpha kids, their parents are the ones who know the most about how to network and get the job done. They also are the ones with facilities (homes) and the ability to instill in their children the skills needed to deal with boredom.
I’m still not convinced that a big waterslide or any other ‘thing’ will entertain kids enough to keep them off drugs. These are kids that seem to need a massive amount of external stimulation and adrenaline, so any external entertainment will wear thin quickly. They have to find a way to feed their need for excitement in a way that won’t get them killed. The good news is that most do. The bad news is that in every generation, some don’t.
I the interest of fair play and gratitude, I should also suggest #12, Throw a street party for the men and women of this city/country who give their lives to protect us from danger and help us through natural and manmade disasters.
Bright
Why are we assuming that “bored” means “entertain me”?
This is a question for the youth posting… is that what you mean?
I would really like to see the focus start moving towards listening to the youth and what they have to say in the way of suggestions, needs, ideas… with the adult role to creatively “question” and try and help them solve these many issues.
It seems that most of the time when something is posted by a young person.. there is a quick response with suggestions, or slightly veiled sarcasm with reasons why they shouldn’t be bored. Do we know what is meant by “bored” in their eyes?
This is starting to take on a sense of shame, which doesn’t help to stimulate conversation.
Also, I think marijuana leads to an erosion of a person’s personal life. The majority agrees with me or has their own reason for why it should not be legalized
Holly, while I agree that some users of marijuana become preoccupied with using, This is no reason to keep it illegal, if you actually think that the current laws regarding pot actually stop anyone from smoking or help society in any way you are extremely naive.
It’s my personal idea that fear of the drug will help people avoid the drug. Show pictures of people who suffocated from a swollen tongue. Etc. (That’s just one of the things I would do for drug education).
Sorry to be the one to break this to you but the bullshit scare tactics never have and never will prevent drug abuse at all. This is essentially the method that health classes have been using forever. What makes you think that by upping the intensity that it will suddenly work? In reality kids will see these pictures, be mildly grossed out, realize that they know ten kids who shoot up every day whose tongues are fine, and try heroin. If you try to scare them by saying “do heroin and your tongue will swell up till you die!” then anything else you try to tell them about actual risks of abuse is going to fall on deaf ears. Sure occasionaly someone overdoses and dies but there are dozens of reasons more relevant to teens as why not to use.
“This is starting to take on a sense of shame, which doesn’t help to stimulate conversation.”
Thank you for the post, Robbie!
Blaming, shaming, pointing fingers, defending…none of these will get us anywhere. I was very impressed with the Mayor’s Task Force meeting tonight. The above verbs were not the focus of the conversation. Instead, their was a diverse group from different areas of our community who shared the same concern--our kids. No, not your kids, their kids, or my kids but OUR kids. There was a definite feeling that we are all in this together. The only group I did not see directly represented was law enforcement. However, the group works with law enforcement and has made a significant contribution to supporting ZAP (Zero Alchohol Providers.) I have heard about this effort through the grapevine (though I did not know what it was called) and know it is making an impact on breaking up and preventing underage drinking parties.
One thing that was revealing to me is hearing that the informal survey taken in the schools (I believe initiated by the Community Health Initiative) showed that perscription drugs were easier for kids to get than alchohol or marajuana. Parents who have surgery are many times sent home with pain killers. Many times they do not use them all and get left and forgotten in the medicine cabinet. There was some discussion about how parents enable without even realizing they are doing it. (By the way, the connection between the survey and left over pain killers was made at the meeting. Communication can be very helpful!)
There are some good efforts already in place to address underage and illegal drug and alchohol abuse in our community, but everyone at the meeting was aware that more needs to be done. The existing efforts and new efforts need support. Numbers aside, this is a problem in Northfield.
For those of us who want some numbers, much of the data cannot be compiled because of crossovers. For example: the number of kids in treatment centers (and sometimes they switch), the number of kids arrested, the number of kids the school recommends for treatment, etc. Some of the data is also retrospective. Then, there is the point that surveys will many times show inaccurate data. Are all kids that are using really honest when they fill out a survey. One person at the meeting shared that many times those surveys reveal the “low end” of the reality. Never the less, I asked if the statistics could be available to the public, even if they were not compiled.
I am sure Griff will give a better recap of the meeting. These are just a few of the things that stood out to me. Mainly, it was refreshing to see a group putting aside the “verbs” I mentioned earlier and having some good discussion. The group is also “action oriented.” A good mix!
The link from Anne (post #218) is GREAT! It might need to be edited for kids who are not college students (or don’t have access to college facilities or a car), but… I was thinking about editing it, but it seems even more appealing for kids because it is from the college.
Let’s just say that I can understand boredom and I believe kids feel bored and that this might even lead them to try drugs. Somehow the trade-off still doesn’t match. And somehow I still remember feeling bored many times when I could have acted in one way but chose to act in another. Perfectly knowing that drugs were dangerous, I chose to try them when my friends did not. I did not care about myself and did not see too much into my future in order to be scared of hard drugs the way my friends were. Boredom is perhaps one answer. But in my own attempts to stay clean, I’ve found it useful to look deeper and not blame any external factors. This has also helped me help a couple friends deal with addictions when they were ready. I don’t blame my family or my boredom, or the decline of culture, or whatever. That leaves room for my friends to believe they can continue to justify their use (which an addict can do quite well until death). Kids who stay involved in activities (sports, music, clubs, etc) tend to over-all stay away from drugs more than those who have nothing to do after school. But this might also have to do with feeling committed to another group of people (your team or performing group). It also gives students a purpose or something to stay sober and healthy for. But I quit sports and music and found myself involved in drugs. So the question might be why did I quit? Aside from boredom, is it important to nurture those things that kids do well and enjoy? Would it be useful to encourage them to get involved in ways that make their healthy, clean existence important to others? I believe boredom is a reason, just like having a bad family is a reason. But it is helpful, in terms of staying clean for the long-term, to not blame anything or anyone but find what will help you feel like you have some purpose. Blame makes it impossible to move foward.
As for finding a purpose and staying fairly clear of that emptiness of boredome, it’s hard to find that purpose if you are high. Actually, it might be impossible. Like I said earlier, it’s possible to carry boredom with oneself to any city on earth. So while we can provide more opportunities for our youth, we need to look more at why they are willing to give up on opportunities offered to them. Do they feel they don’t have a purpose within those activities? Do they feel like they are not valued or are not capable? Have they grown to expect praise and are now finding that all activities seem shallow because they never connected their own meaning to any of it? Boredom is okay too. As someone else said, it can spur one onto creativity. When I’m bored, I’m usually just avoiding something. But I end up getting something else done, nonetheless. So boredom isn’t something I’m so sure we need to look into or entirely avoid. It’s the question of why one bored kid decides to do heroin and why another bored kid would say “no.” While boredom is an answer, I’d encourage anyone stopping there to go deeper. Fear is usually beneath anger and jealousy, for example. What is beneath the type of boredom that would spur one on to trying a highly addictive drug? What is beneath the boredom that would create such seeming apathy or poor decision-making? And before anyone criticizes me for calling it poor decision-making, I’d like you to tell me how using heroin is a good decision. I’ve made bad decisions and had to fess up to it. I’m still alive.
NPR’s Fresh Air did a program on addiction last night. You can listen here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13
In today’s Northfield News:
Chief prefers addiction treatment over arrests
Parents should mind signs of drug abuse
Editorial: We must make treatment become available here [sic]
As to Gilly’s post about the Key:
I vote that doing things like glass bead work in a group can really just be “doing something while you participate in a group” and it really doesn’t matter what you are doing. It’s the group.
Besides the glass making activities, etc. I have heard that the Key kids have:
--rpublished a book or song, or something published
--Trying to get a skatepark-- is this associated with the Key?
--created a business-- Mona Lisa
Here’s a few more ideas on the make a difference track-- these could be done at the Key, if youth are bored (just ideas):
--Committee which is involved in school curriculum decision making
--Help at Sharing and Caring hands, and apply knowledge to Northfield’s homeless
--Test the river for pollution and presenting a clean up idea
--Publish on iTunes, and have a contest which involves Northfielders voting and money given
--Music lessons, learn to play bass or something
--Committee to influence city hall happenings-- or a seat on the council
Etc.
See the link in post #226 to today’s Northfield News coverage: “Chief Prefers Addiction Treatment over Arrests.”
I have been following this discussion (online and in the Northfield and the Minneapolis newspapers) since it began. I have found the lack of emphasis on the need for law enforcement to be especially disturbing. And now Chief Smith (if the Northfield News article represents his opinions accurately) is essentially announcing that he intends to be lenient on drug dealers? Typically, I thought, police chiefs and other law enforcement officials tend to announce that they plan to be TOUGH on drugs. And why would he state that he doesn’t want to be too aggressive and just push the sellers into other communities. Why should we in Northfield care about that? Then the police in the other communities could also be tough and push the dealers still farther away--the farther the better, to everyone’s benefit.
I know that police investigations can take a long time, but in mid-March, heroin, money, and weapons were uncovered in a search of a mobile home in Northfield. At that time, Smith was quoted in the Northfield News as saying that there would be many arrests as a result of what was found in that search. Perhaps that has come to pass, although there has been no follow-up local news coverage to indicate that it has. And, based on what I have been reading in posts from some of the young people who are using heroin, they actually STARTED doing it since that time. And one of the users said that the arrest of a single dealer would probably eliminate the heroin source for about twenty people he knows.
It seems to me that there are enough other groups and people in the community who can focus on prevention and treatment. I think it is time for the Northfield police (with help from county- or state-level resources, if necessary) to focus on stopping the heroin transactions.
I plan to at least call the city administrator and mayor today to convey my thoughts on this. I welcome suggestions for how to get the message across to any other relevant people. Right now, I think that is more urgent than trying to think of ways to combat young people’s boredom.
Some good ideas, Holly. One of my friends never played an instrument until her junior year of high school when she decided she should play classical guitar. When she wasn’t working or doing homework or meeting up with friends, she was playing that guitar. It was her way to de-stress and involve some creativity. It also gave her something to work towards that, in the end, would leave her with something valuable. She’s now coming up on a 40th birthday and she still plays. I, along with many others, admire her talent. Noone admired me for doing coke. But I ended up going back to my own previous interests and putting more focus into them. I don’t think kids need to be bothered with the pressure of figuring out the “meaning of life”, but I believe finding a way to feel useful, connected in a positive way, or like what you are doing has some purpose or will bring you somewhere, are ways students can deter themselves from whatever emptiness that leads them to finding relief in getting a chemical high. For these same reasons, typical routes of avoiding boredom (television, chatting on the phone, internet surfing, or video games) are not so useful. They are better than getting high, of course. But they don’t provide us with a real feeling of satisfaction after the fact. Noone ever says, “wow, I feel great for watching that show, now I feel like I’m getting somewhere!” or “I’ve done some really great surfing tonight. I feel pretty good about it. Well done.” If we can’t move beyond boredom as a reason to do drugs, boredom should be “cured” in ways that leave young people actually feeling satisfied, not just temporarily or mindlessly occupied.
Other ideas: training for a race (read up on high-energy foods and training plans), perhaps a race for a cause. Collect people’s curbside garbage and salvage (refinish old wooden chairs in the garage and use in your bedroom or donate to programs that are helping refuges), join a club at school or start one if you don’t like the options. Save all that would-be drug money and plan a trip to whatever country you’d really like to explore. Imagine all the things you could do without a drug habit! Or, save that would-be drug money and go to college to study what you are truly interested in. If you don’t know yet, you will have the opportunity to find out if you go to college. Study Greek. Make something. Basically, find what makes life worth enjoying and not escaping. But then again, I have a sense there are things to do in Northfield, just some young people that need to be guided.
Hi Lori,
I like to read your posts. Could you make a list of what you would do to help the heroin problem in Northfield (short term and long term).
And, elder Bruce (post 195), could you do the same thing? Short term and long term.
Anyone else out there who wants to make a list, I’d appreciate it. And be specific for me (so don’t just put “attend meetings”, etc.)
Will, I am still thinking about your thoughts in post 221. I guess we just don’t see eye to eye.
I can’t find the post where a student said he or she was in sports and other activities, and was a captain (I think)-- but he or she also said that students don’t rat on each other or they will be hated. No ratting.
I think that needs to be addressed-- by the schools, maybe. Remember when our kids were little and they used to tell on each other for things like “Mom, ____ is using red for the sky color when it is supposed to be blue.” We talked about things like when to tell and when not to tell.
Seems like the issue of tattling could be discussed, again. The problem, however, will be getting kids to believe that heroinh use is a serious issue, rather than just a “red sky” issue, don’t you think?
I found a good link about tattling here:
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/Tattling.html
Or am I alone on this one… After listening to all of the people on here who have said things like ‘let’s legalize and tax drugs’ and ‘it’s not that many kids’ I am feeling like there are few people who really think this is a worry.
Susan, I think the Chief is talking about users, not dealers.
I’d like to hear from others with intervention strategy knowledge and experience if they agree with this strategy. I’m inclined to think it would help force people into treatment if the courts were involved because of a possession charge.
Of course, this still requires that the police catch a person using or having it in their possession.
Susan wrote in #228:
Re the articles in Griff’s post #226: I must say, I was disappointed with the weak response from our police chief. The way I read it, it’s going to be business as usual for the pushers; the chief would rather put his energy into cleaning up the mess they’ve caused after the fact. But then I had an alarming thought. Perhaps Chief Smith knows something we don’t. My impression has been that the heroin issue is more of a homegrown problem, but I began to wonder if the local drug trade had been taken over by an organized gang so vicious that the local cops were afraid to go up against them.
So I actually called Gary up and asked him. He, as usual, wasn’t very forthcoming, but I got the impression that, at least so far, our town hasn’t been taken over by a violent mob.
I was able to find out a few things that the local cops have been doing, and some things that they haven’t. There have been a few arrests of juveniles, but the chief couldn’t come up with the name of a single adult that has been arrested and charged with selling heroin in Northfield in the last 2 years.
Chief Smith said, essentially, that if someone comes to him with specific evidence that would lead to an arrest, he’ll act on it, but otherwise people should stop complaining. I had up till now thought that’s what we paid his guys to do--old-fashioned police work--but I guess I was unclear on the concept.
Off of what John said originally, here’s what we need to do.
FIRST stop/get rid of the current dealers. THEN get rid the demand. ie take away the “boredom” factor. So that a new supplier wont move in. Then if that “Boredom” is removed, don’t stop. Otherwise it will only help till the next generation moves in. Keep whatever the solution to “boredom” is, continually evolving. Otherwise it won’t stay interesting.
Say someone decides to create a youth free carpentry class, and the first thing you make is a table and a set of chairs. When that’s done, you do it again, maybe this time perfecting your last design. Well if you keep making chairs and tables, it’s going to get really old, really fast.
If that makes any sense.
I’ve blogged an hour of the audio of last night’s Task Force meeting with some photos:
http://locallygrownnorthfield.org/archives/1844/
PS to Holly: the student who’s an athlete posted in #205.
Tyson’s commented in #213 and linked to the article/research that indicates the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully formed until age 25
This seems significant to me. On the 3rd page of that article, it says:
When I think of the stupid dangerous stuff I did as teenager (doing wheelies on my motorcycle in downtown St. Paul, throwing lit cherry bombs at each other, rock climbing without ropes, just to mention a few), I’m lucky to be here in one piece. And if there had been the preponderance of drugs in my circle of friends, I can see how I could have fallen into that and not easily gotten out.
I’m wondering if the prevention strategies that we’re using with young people in Northfield takes these new findings into account.
File this under “for what it’s worth.”
I did a little unofficial informal survey in the local probation department. I asked the probation officers how many of their current probationers they think are involved (or have been) in the Northfield heroin trade (as sellers, re-sellers, users, etc.). Keep in mind that, in general, probation officers are usually knowledgeable about what’s going on in the lives of the people they supervise, especially if the probation officer suspects that things are amiss.
The juvenile probation officers said that between seven and ten kids currently on probation are or were involved in some way. A couple are in treatment, a couple are still using and facing some hard decisons, and a few we’re not yet sure about.
The adult probation officers figure that five to eight of the adults currently on probation may be involved. One just got sent to prison for a few years on a burglary conviction.
One of the adult POs also said that heroin has shown up in Faribault in the last six months or so, particularly among a group of folks who had been using meth and cocaine.
I also had a conversation with a staff member of a drug rehab unit at a Twin Cities hospital. She was evaluating a young man from Northfield. We talked for quite a while, but two things struck me: First, that the young man truly believed that he could use heroin recreationally and it had few risks for him — he had it totally under control and his parents and others shouldn’t freak out. Second, that this facility had admitted a half-dozen or so Northfield kids a few months ago for treatment for heroin and prescription drug abuse. She said “we’ve known about Northfield for a while now.” These kids had been referred by doctors or parents or out-patient treatment programs, not by probation officers or police or judges.
“We’ve known about Northfield for a while now.” -- drug rehab staffer.
That’s troubling to hear, Jim. But thanks for doing the informal research with your probation officers. BTW, I don’t think you introduced yourself, so I will!
Jim Haas is Rice County’s Community Corrections Director.
I just listemned to the NPR link posted by Curt (#225). It seems that this would be a great audio for NHS health classes. If you have not listened to it, it is worth your time to do so.
One of the points the speaker makes in the interview is that adiction is a disease. The user cannot control whether or not they get the disease when they use. Tyson’s comment about not using because he knew it would feel so good he would not be able to stop is worth noting. That is the reality of drugs. They start controlling you, and you cannot control when that happens . You do not control them, even if you think you are. None of use like to be controlled and, as the speaker on the link states, no one wants to be an addict.
Thanks for your post #236, Griff. It seems a bit strange that the police are pulling people over for riding razor scooters on the sidewalk, or calling they and their parents into the police station to warn them of the seriouness of “egging” (I have experienced this one), but drug dealers are not arrested. I am hoping that the police know better than I how to deal with drug dealers, but I have to ask the same question another poster did. Isn’t law enforcement the role of the police? Isn’t arresting those who break the law what the police are supposed to do? Isn’t that the role of our judicial system? Can’t the judges decide that the person needs treatment and make that a court order? I personally know of people who were forced by the courts to go to treatment, and they are still sober today. That might not have happened if the police let them off.
Hmmm… the jurry is still out for me on this new approach the police are taking. Like I said, I hope they know more than I do.
I don’t presume to speak for anyone else, but I think Chief Smith is talking about the fact (a very well-established fact) that treatment is, over time, more effective than punishment for addicts. I believe the Chief also advocates arrest and punishment for dealers. In most instances, the courts are prepared to do both — to use both carrots and sticks, to provide both opportunities and consequences.
Still, if you’re expecting to solve the drug problem — any drug problem in any community — through the criminal justice system alone, you will be disappointed in the results.
After rereading articles and comments in preparation for today’s radio show/podcast, I’ve edited the title of the blog post from ‘Heroin network at the Northfield High School’ to ‘Heroin use among high school students in Northfield.’
This change more accurately reflects A) the actual wording of the Hazelden researcher, and B) the fact that there are high schoolers in Northfield who are at the district high school, at ARTech, and who are being homeschooled.
I apologize for the wording and acknowledge that it was unfair to the school district and its high school. My error is partially due to my longstanding support for charter schools. I guess this is an example of what’s called biased reporting. Oddly, no one called me on this.
Anne wrote:
Hi Anne,
Some, perhaps most, of us are much newer to this news than you suggest. The first I heard of it was 8 days ago, when it hit the Northfield News. In this space, people have been starting to educate themselves about the problem and to explore possible options for action. In its own way, it constitutes a “meeting.” I think guidance from the experts is pretty important — if we were jumping in to organize action along every tack that’s been suggested here, we’d be working at cross purposes (to each other and to some of those experts) and not necessarily accomplishing anything of value. I hope people will get involved in the various ways that become manifestly useful. The fact that discussion continues here doesn’t mean that people aren’t taking other actions and getting involved, or planning to do everything they can.
Possible tactics, some of which we can work on already and others of which rely on official action or more data:
1. Identify and shut down the primary dealer(s) in town. This takes police work and action.
2. Widely publicize accurate information about the dangers of heroin use in forums where young people will get it. This we can be doing now. Former users can be helpful here, as they will have more credibility with the target audience. From what I gather, information from more “official” sources is routinely ignored or rejected as bogus. How can we go about this?
3. Increase the ability of local agencies and healthcare providers to treat heroin addiction. I understand this is under way, but can we speed or lobby to increase funding for this effort? Do we know how we can help here, if at all?
4. Address the “boredom” issue, keeping in mind the adolescent brain’s penchant for risk-taking behavior. Knitting classes or an open art studio (as completely random examples) might be great choices for some, but for others, beneath scorn. Publicize options for positive activities, support organizations that provide more options, get that skate park built (or has it been? — I’ve lost track), encourage local internships and other skill-building opportunities. My impression is that there aren’t a lot of interesting jobs available for young people in town. Not that I’m saying all jobs have to be interesting, but the type of boredom that’s been discussed is not going to be helped all that much by working in a fast food restaurant or tasseling corn and having more money to spend as a result, but not using your mind or creativity or seeing lasting results of your labor. Maybe the Chamber of Commerce could foster local internship or “hire a kid for the summer” programs, to get kids into retail businesses or insurance offices or daycare centers or plant nurseries or handyman work or bike repair or the Malt-O-Meal plant.
5. Recognize that some users or potential users will be immune to anything other than the drying up of the supply or legal consequences to themselves. That’s not a point of action, but it needs to be kept in mind. We can’t reach everyone with our message; some are simply not going to be receptive. They don’t want our suggestions of alternative activities; they like their image as a little bit dangerous or pushing the boundaries, or whatever.
6. Get in touch with local organizations (the schools, the police, the Mayor’s task force, Healthy Community Initiative and others) that are already working on this and related issues, and find out how we can help. As I mentioned previously, some contact info is provided at http://www.northfieldhci.org . If you are involved with such organizations, get the word out about what parents and others can do to help. There are a lot of people here who want to get involved. Use us!
What else? Feedback on these? I’m trying to be both positive and realistic, and I’m biased in favor of being well educated before rushing into action.
From post #228:
It’s not that the dealers bring the heroin to Northfield, and try to convince people to buy it. It’s the people in Northfield wanting to use heroin. The dealers would not be selling heroin in Northfield if there were not economic incentive to do so. Busting dealers will help in the short term, but look at it this way. A dealer gets busted. His customers still want smack. They’re willing to pay for it. Someone else who sees the profit potential is going to take his place. Long-term, busting dealers really only annoys the heroin using population. They’re going to keep doing it, they’re addicts and they’ve made up their minds. I know people who quit buying it from the people in Northfield because they were getting crappy prices, and drive up to the cities themselves to get it instead. You can’t just pass a law and make it so, people are going to do heroin and that’s that. It’s not preventing them from being able to, it’s preventing them from WANTING to in the first place.
I wish I had time to comment on the many interesting posts y’all have made here. But so be it. It’s 5 PM. I’m heading to the studio now for the 5:30 pm show. Hope some of you can call in: 645-5695.
We’ll probably chat with Gary and Chris for the first 15 minutes and then take calls.
Griff: In the interest of honesty and accuracy, shouldn’t the entry be re-titled “Heroin USE among high school students in Northfield”?
Reply to Jim (#241). Thanks for the input. I agree that treatment is the best option. My concern is that sometimes it takes law enforcement to make that happen. The courts cannot require someone to go through treatment unless they are arrested. It is obviously better that an addict goes through treatment without the courts being involved, but sometimes our judicial system is the only way to get them the help they need.
You’re right, Tracy. I’ve replaced the word ‘addiction’ with the word ‘use.’ Thanks!
MPR just aired this story at 5:40 pm today. The audio isn’t available yet but the full text is:
Heroin claims cause Northfield turmoil
There are some statistics at the bottom of this page worth noting.
http://northfieldhci.org/newsletters/01.07%20pcn%20newsletter.pdf